Clinical Features and Prognostic Factors of Anaerobic Infections: A 7-Year Retrospective Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Risk factors for mortality resulting from anaerobic infection are incompletely defined. The clinical significance of a broad range of pathogenic obligate anaerobic organisms was examined, and factors independently associated with mortality were identified in patients with clinically significant anaerobic infections.0aMETHODS: The medical records of 1,050 patients with anaerobic infections were retrospectively reviewed at Severance Hospital in Seoul, Korea.0aRESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 54.1cally significant cases were polymicrobial anaerobic infections. The mean number of pathogens, including aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, was 3.7athogens by rank were the Bacteroides fragilis group, which accounted for 41.8% of anaerobic infections, followed by Clostridium spp. (11.8%), Prevotella spp. (9.4%), and Peptostreptococcus spp. (8.4%). Escherichia coli (17.5%), Staphylococcus aureus (7.5%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (7.5%) were common concomitant aerobic organisms. The overall crude mortality rate resulting from anaerobic infection was 29.7%. Among the determining factors associated with mortality, liver disease (p005) were significant in multivariate analysis.0aCONCLUSIONS: Anaerobic infection is polymicrobial and has a significant role in morbidity and mortality. Underlying liver disease was associated with poor prognosis in anaerobic infection.